Hapu cut fences, move stock

Kilometres of fences have been cut and hundreds of cattle and sheep mixed up and moved without authority on a large Far North farm station as members of a Maori group press their claim to ownership of the land.

Police were called again to the 2275ha Stony Creek Station 12km south of Mangonui late last week as cattle and sheep were driven through cut internal and boundary fences on the property.

Thousands of metres of fencing have been cut and most of the farm's cattle and sheep are now left effectively in one large makeshift paddock of about 800ha.

With boundary fences cut, stock milled around on Stony Creek Rd last week until they were moved on, but fence lines bordering State Highway 10 have not been touched.

Tamati Roha, a spokesman for local Ngati Aukiwa hapu, who say the farm land is theirs, told the Herald he had been arrested by police for trespass on Friday and faces three charges.

He has been bailed and will make an initial appearance in Kaitaia District Court on February 3.

Mr Roha said about 400 cattle and 150 sheep had been "relocated" on the farm through cut fences on Friday.

The hapu says it is interested only in the land, not stock or plant, comprising the former Landcorp property, now held on behalf of the Crown by the Office of Treaty Settlements (OTS) for use in eventual treaty claim settlements by Maori in the area.

"We want to move the stock from our whenua [land]," Mr Roha said.

"We've told OTS that."